Rebirth of a Soldier
by J.S.Mallory
Summary: When a commander loses his unit in battle and lines begin shifting in the corporate sector, a soldier finds himself being reassigned to a new way of life.


**Rebirth of a Soldier**

**1**

Despite the blistering heat, Seven remained cool. He had several kilograms of sand on his back, shielding him from the desert sun. A utility blanket was draped over his form, with only a couple small holes in front of him. The desert sun was as intense as ever, as Seven's sniper rifle poked out from beneath the sand. The tip of the barrel scanned the horizon and the end of a glassless scope gave the sniper the vision he need. All the magnification he would require was built into his cybernetic eyes. The latest in smartgun technology had been integrated into his body and his weapon. The sole purpose of the scope was to provide a tunnel to peer through the sand.

His gun had been given a sandy finish to camouflage its body in its surroundings. There would be no glare, no reflection from his gun to give up his location. He peered out from under his cover, over the next dune, where his squad was to take. It was a small Ares encampment where the Ares army was to be reequipped with new weapons the company had developed. Fuchi had requested that the weapons be taken by force.

"Steady boys," Seven said into his earpiece radio.

His squad was camouflaged as mounds of sand. They crept their way through a small clearing, staying close together so their camouflage gave the appearance of a small dune. Seven settled his scope on the small encampment and scanned for his target.

"Where are you hiding...?"

Seven saw his mark emerge from one of the tents and stretch. The man wore horn rimmed glasses and an old safari style hat. He squinted in the sun as he strolled over to a table carrying a laptop computer. His skin was badly sunburned and he wore clothing far too heavy for the desert.

"Who is this guy?"

"Problem chief?" one of his soldiers inquired.

Seven lined his cross hair on the man's forehead, as he checked his laptop and sat down. The sniper's finger was tightening on the trigger when he saw a young boy run over to his target and plop himself in the man's lap.

_What the...? What's a child doing in the Sahara?!_

Seven's finger slackened, not wanting to shoot a squirming little kid by accident.

"Something's not right..."

"Fall back?" came a question from his unit.

Seven scanned the area near his troops. His men had made excellent progress towards the objective, despite their speed limitations. After careful observation, he noticed movement beneath the sand in the dunes surrounding his men's position.

"Fall back! Evac now!"

His men shed their camouflage and began a full retreat just as Ares sprang their trap. Several Ares heavy gunners popped out of their hiding places beneath the sand and opened fire on Seven's men. The heavy weaponry tore his unit apart.

Seven tried to do his best, snapping off shots at the soldiers firing on his men but there were too many Ares soldiers and too little time. When Seven took out the last Ares soldier, his men lay scattered and bleeding on the desert sand.

The sniper was in shock. How could this have happened? This was supposed to be a black op...how could Ares have known they were coming?

**2**

"Bring him in."

Seven was escorted into a tent back at the Fuchi headquarters. The officer behind the desk was of East Indian descent, wearing the markings of a Major. He wore a smug grin and held a heavy glass filled with bourbon.

Despite his reluctance, Seven saluted his superior officer. The Major did not return the gesture. The two officers had had some major disagreements in the past, one of which was Seven's rapid climb in rank.

"Sergeant Suring, what the frag happened out there today?" the Major asked the sniper.

"I...I don't know, sir. Somehow Ares knew we were coming."

Major Eloh Ssa stared at the Sergeant, waiting for further elaboration.

"I think someone within Fuchi sold us out."

"Why didn't you hit your mark?"

Seven was silent for a moment. "What are you talking about?"

"You were supposed to shoot one Henry Miller and you didn't. Why?"

Seven stared at his superior with mounting anger. "My squad got wiped out today and you're asking why I didn't shoot some fragging accountant?!"

"Sergeant! You will keep your tone down when you address me. The death of your men would have been justified had you done your job. That accountant was an executive with AresSpace. He was supposed to die. Why did you fail your objective?"

"I didn't have a clean shot. There was a child there with him. I will not shoot through a young child," Seven's hands were tightly clenched as he approached his commanding officer's desk.

"Your morals do not concern me. I give you a direction to point and you shoot. That's your job. That is why they call you Seven, right? Sharpshooter number seven?"

Realization struck Seven. "My men were a decoy...you got my unit killed just so I could shoot a civilian?!"

"He was an exec that wasn't content watching men die from the comfort of his home, so he came here to watch us die live in person. In that regard he's no more innocent than an officer."

Seven's knuckles were white as Major Ssa still wore his smug smile. Through clenched teeth, he asked, "Permission to speak freely, sir?"

"Denied. I've requested that you be transferred. A sniper that hesitates has no place in my army. Pack your things. You'll be back in North America by tomorrow afternoon."

Seven could no longer keep his anger in check. As the Major tipped back his glass of bourbon the sniper leapt across the desk and kicked the glass into the Major's jaw. As the glass shattered and cut Eloh's face, Seven began pounding on the Major, shouting incoherently about the needless death of his friends. He had knocked out most of the Major's teeth and fractured his jaw before five officers pulled the incensed sniper off of the now-unconscious Major.

The officers threatened Seven with a court martial, but the sniper didn't seem to hear their threats. Only when they mentioned sedating him did he regain control of his anger and return to his bunk in the barracks.

**3**

Sergeant Elison Suring sat on the edge of his bunk, emptying out his locker. He stuffed his gear into a duffle bag, preparing for his departure the next morning. He wouldn't miss the Desert Wars at all. He had shed far too much blood for the entertainment of the masses for too long. He looked forward to a change. He wouldn't miss the heat, the sand or the constant immunizations required from all the poisonous creatures that made the Sahara their home. He would miss the friends he had made during his time here. After the massacre, he had taken the time to bury his comrades in the sand they had come to know as home.

Reaching into one of the many pocket on his jacket, he pulled out a handful of dog tags, pulled from the necks of his fallen friends. They would serve as a reminder of the cost of taking lives for a living. Sometimes, the people whose lives you take fight back.

Elison stuffed the dog tags deep into his pack and zipped it closed. He lay back on his cot and prayed that his sleep would be dreamless.

**4**

Elison's eyes shot open. His reflexes kicked in as he gripped the handgun concealed beneath his pillow, drew it and aimed it at the nearby form.

A soldier stood over Elison's bunk, a gun leveled at the sniper's head.

"Seven! You...you're awake."

"Four...what the hell are you doing?"

"Sorry, Seven. I'm just following orders."

"Whose orders? The good Major's?"

Four remained silent, keeping his gun trained on his former training partner.

"So, he's not happy with getting most of my unit killed. He wants to finish the job," Elison reasoned.

"What are you talking about?"

"You haven't heard that he sent my whole unit out to die at the hands of Ares?"

"The only rumour I've heard is that your negligence got them killed. Then you came back and beat the Major nearly into a coma."

"The last bit is correct, but I attacked him because he didn't give a damn about the men he sent in to die."

"The Major doesn't believe in suicide tactics," Four said.

"Are you blind?! I was there. I watched as the Ares gunners sprung from an ambush and wasted my whole unit. Haven't you noticed an increased number of fatalities since General Yamaguchi left the Major in charge?"

Four stared at Elison while trying to gauge whether he could believe the sniper over his commanding officer. Slowly, Four lowered his weapon. Elison mirrored the action, allowing relief to touch his features.

Four stepped back from Elison's cot and started walking away. After only a few steps he stopped.

"Seven, I'm sorry."

Four spun around, bringing his weapon to bear. Elison raised his handgun and both soldiers fired. Four was thrown backwards onto the floor and Elison collapsed to the cot, staining the white corporate issue sheets with blood.

**5**

Elison opened his eyes to find his vision blurry and his mind foggy.

"Good. You're awake," an Asian voice said from nearby.

Turning his head, Elison saw the distorted face of General Yamaguchi. He raised a hand to try and salute and found he lacked the coordination.

"Be at ease, son. I see you're in no condition to speak. You and I need to talk."

Elison nodded. He wanted to speak but it only came out as an incoherent mumble. The General stood up and walked away. Elison lay back and sleep engulfed him again.

**6**

When the General returned Elison was awake and alert. Elison saluted as the General walked in.

"That looks more like the soldier I know," Yamaguchi said with a grin.

"Permission to speak freely, sir?"

"Always."

"Where the frag am I?" Elison asked.

"You're in a military hospital in Boston. I had to have you transferred out of Africa before the Major made another attempt on your life."

"How is Four?"

"We trained you very well, my boy. He's no longer with us."

Elison bowed his head and closed his eyes.

"Don't be too hard on yourself. It was either him or you and speaking militarily, I'm glad it was him. I took the liberty of adding his tags to your collection."

"Thank you, sir. If I may ask, what happened to the Major?"

"He's an officer without an army. He sacrificed your unit intentionally and without consulting me first."

"Without consulting you?"

"I won't lie to you. I have sent men on missions I knew were suicidal, but not without knowing that it would play a key part in victory. I'm almost certain Eloh tipped Ares off that you were coming, but I found no proof. It will only be a matter of time before another corp hires him. I can't guarantee he won't look for you."

"Does he know I'm alive?"

"I don't think so. He's seen Elison Suring's death certificate. You, my young friend, are officially a ghost."

Elison slumped back in his hospital bed and looked up at the trid unit running in the upper corner of the room.

"It appears I'm not the only ghost."

Yamaguchi followed the sniper's gaze to the trid. "Ah yes. Quite tragic. No one's still quite sure how anyone could have killed a dragon. President Dunkelzahn will be missed. Which brings me to my next point..."

Elison shifted his gaze back to Yamaguchi with a raised eyebrow.

"The wyrm left a last will and testament in the event of his death."

"Why would a dragon have a will, unless he knew he would die?"

"Quite true. Regardless of the conspiracy theories, Dunkelzahn left items to all the major bigwigs in all of the mega corps. Nobody's sure who gets what yet, but there are some rumblings in the upper echelons of Fuchi that doesn't bode well for the corp. Lines are being drawn in the board of directors."

"What does that mean for us?" Elison inquired.

"I don't know yet. Once you're fully healed come by my office here in Boston. We'll talk more then."

General Yamaguchi walked toward the door.

"Oh, a couple of things. Dress like a civilian and think up a new call sign. I'll see you in a couple days."

**7**

The heavy oak doors opened as Elison pushed his way into General Yamaguchi's office. He wore denim jeans and a black T-shirt, with a black leather trenchcoat over top. He still wore combat boots.

"Glad to see you're healed. Have a seat," Yamaguchi said while waving the sniper into the office. The doors closed automatically behind Elison.

"I have a new assignment for you," Yamaguchi said.

"What kind of assignment?"

"Let's just say it's a long term assignment, with an indefinite end date."

The General tossed a manila folder across the desk so Elison could read it over. After flipping through it and finding several contradictions, the sniper looked up.

"Exactly what is it I'm supposed to do?"

"You are to get a life," Yamaguchi said rising from his desk.

"What?"

"Things are looking bad for Fuchi, my friend. One of our executives was left Renraku voting stock in Dunkelzahn's will and he has since switched companies."

"Jesus..."

"The directors are divided and I have chosen a side. Richard Villiers seems to have his head screwed on straight. So, we will pursue Fuchi's interests until the cards are down and then we will see what happens."

"As you wish, sir. How does this pertain to my assignment?"

"I'm not sure it does...I'm sorry for rambling," Yamaguchi said, returning to his desk. "We're dispatching you to Seattle, where you will become a shadowrunner."

"Sir?"

"We don't need soldiers anymore, Sergeant. We need people that can operate beneath radar in covert operations. Shadowrunners do that every day. But we need a runner that is loyal to us and that we can call upon when an important job needs to be done. I can think of no one better suited to this task than you."

"Would I still be a corporate employee?"

"On paper, no. You're dead, remember? You would be free to do whatever you please in the city, provided it does not adversely affect the parent corporation in any way."

Elison sat and thought for a minute. He would be free of rules and regulations. He could operate under his own code.

"I'll do it."

Yamaguchi smiled. "I was hoping you would. Your flight leaves tonight. I'll have some gear sent out to you. It's over there."

Elison followed Yamaguchi's direction and saw a large case on a short bookshelf. He walked over to the case, thumbed the latches and opened it. Inside, was a disassembled sniper rifle and a gold credstick with 100,000¥.

"The credstick also possesses a new ID for you. You are now known as Fredrick Norris, named after two of your fallen comrades. You will find several weapons permits on there as well."

Elison slid the credstick into his pocket and latched the case. "I won't let you down, General."

"I know you won't. So, what is your new call sign?"

"You said it yourself, sir. I'm a ghost. Upon arriving in Seattle, I'll be known as Wraith."


End file.
